In this series of articles, social and cultural experts will weigh in on the question of race and racism as they pertain to science, medicine, and health. What do social science and humanities scholarship have to say to the scientific and medical community, where, despite the broad consensus that race lacks clear boundaries or predictive value, its use as a category of analysis persists?

As scientists and scholars, we often focus on being objective. We spend less time concerned with the personal and that which cannot be replicated. This series boldly highlights personal stories of health and disease, experiences that define how we live in our bodies and in our world.

Gender certainly influences the way we see and understand the body. It also influences how we provide care. In this series, we examine a variety of topics related to gender and healthcare, including nursing, gender, and the sexualization of the profession.

What undermines the authority of doctors? What makes doctors think they have the authority to advise patients, rightly or wrongly? In this series, we take on topics such as vaccination, changing medical guidelines, and the rise of the Internet and self-diagnosis.